Ver Scintillant
by dgj212
Summary: Yuga and his mother were spending a lovely evening at new Café they discovered. That is until two armed robbers appeared. Thankfully, the owner managed to thwart their attempt with ease. After witnessing this, Yuga decided that he just HAS to train under the owner, Taylor Hebert.
1. Glimmer

Started off as an Idea of what if Izuku met Taylor and triggered with what is essential Pre-nine Grue and skitter's power. Then I asked a friend on Discord as a joke how effective Yuga Aoyama would be if he was trained by Crane the Harmonious trained him. The conclusion is that he would be very effective and traumatized. Then I thought: Why did I pick Izuku for that first idea. Sure he's the protagonist and has a very simple thought process that we get to see, but he already has All Might, do I really need to change things around to justify Taylor training him? Then I hit this idea! Why not just have her train Yuga? He's eccentric and his quirk would be tricky to train since it would need a specific way of fighting that is not in line with Taylor's tactics.

And then this happened. Read enjoy and review!

I don't own Worm or MHA/BnHA.

* * *

"Oui, this is quite elegant," a young boy with long golden locks styled back said as he rolled the liquid in his glass around, no doubt in an attempt to let it breathe.

Despite the boy's sharp facial features, he looked quite effeminate. He has long eyelashes and indigo coloured eyes that were closed at the moment. He wore a white dress shirt with frills close to the collar that was left untucked and indigo jeans that bordered on blue paired with brown loafers. He looked a bit like a prince, or at the very least tried to pass himself off as a candidate for one. He took another sip from the glass, letting the crimson liquid slide into his mouth.

"Mm, fruity, definitely not dry. Has a very good body with a bitter aftertaste," he noted aloud, his words rehearsed to sound natural and elegant, no doubt done with an audience in mind.

"Hm hm, it's cranberry and pomegranate juice, kid," Ms. Hebert said with a small giggle as the boy kept smiling despite how his face darkened at his illusion being broken.

"Thanks again Ms. Hebert," his mother, a tall blonde woman with fair skin said. "After my little Yuga saw those glass cups, he's been very stubborn about drinking from one." It really wasn't a wine glass just something similar.

"Not a problem Mrs. Aoyama," the tall woman said. She was tall, thin, had long dark curly hair that she tied back into a ponytail, she also wore a pair of glasses over her dark eyes. She wore blue jeans and a white long-sleeved sweater with an apron over it and a pair of lightly colored gloves. Not particularly a beauty but definitely not ugly by any means. "It's just a cup at the end of the day. If anyone asks, I can pour them a sample," Ms. Hebert reasoned. This late twenty-something owned the café the pair were visiting.

It was a cute two-story house with vegetation growing on it. Said house was tucked away in the back, stuck between a three-story apartment complex and a general home center, separated by a chain-link fence on either side of the house. Its front lawn had a lush and well-trimmed grass along with a small garden. There were wooden steps (with no inclination) that led from the sidewalk all the way to the front door. One would never suspect such a place to be a Café, the only reason Mrs. Aoyama knew was because a friend had recommended the place. Apparently, that's how Ms. Hebert's business was marketed, by word of mouth. Sure there was a website and it was listed in a local phone book, but it didn't have much in the way of marketing and advertising, though that didn't ruin its value.

"I must say, your Japanese is quite good," Mrs. Aoyama complimented.

"Thank you," Ms. Hebert smiled. "Oh, sorry, I'll be right back." She said as she went to tend to a few other customers signalling her.

The Café itself was very spacious and had a "cozy" feel to it. The house was made of wood but it didn't really creak. From the door, you walk down a very short hallway before you enter the back of the house where there are seven tables set up, four chairs each, a small counter close to what looks like the kitchen with a few stools, and lots of windows that, despite the building's location, allowed plenty of light into the café. The café was opened from morning to night, though it was subjected to Ms. Hebert's whims, either closing early or not even opening at all; but not before she let her patrons know ahead of time.

"What do you think, Yuga-dear," Mrs. Aoyama asked her son who went back to sipping his drink as "elegantly" as he could. Basically pretending it was real wine.

"Mm, definitely rustic but also very delightful," the youth replied as he enjoyed his beverage. "It's also close U.A. too," he added.

"That's right, a great place to go after school with your friends."

"Oui," Yuga happily agreed.

Despite their smiles and agreement, a sort of awkward silence befell the two. As much as Mrs. Aoyama loved her child, she did worry about his "abnormal" behaviour. She knew Yuga didn't mean anything bad by it, that was simply the way he was, but she couldn't help but note how it could be very off-putting to other people.

"Here you go," Ms. Hebert came back with a plate of fruit and sandwiches sliced into triangles and an extra plate. Despite her obvious western origins, Ms. Hebert's drinks and dishes are actually pretty light yet filling and on the cheap.

"Oh thanks," Mrs. Aoyama said.

"Think nothing of it," Ms. Hebert said with a smile as she went to attend another table.

The two began to dig in and enjoy their food. Mrs. Aoyama looked at her son who tried to pose as he ate. It was about time to talk to him about his behaviour.

"...You know Yuga, maybe-"

"EVERYONE, DOWN ON THE GROUND, NOW!" A loud man demanded drawing everyone's attention.

Two masked men were by the door, pointing handguns at people. People were stunned at first.

"DO IT NOW!" The other man shouted before pointing the gun up and-

**BANG!**

The sound was deafening! Everyone shrieked as they ducked under their tables, those without made do with their stools. Mrs. Aoyama was her hugging her son as they both stared at the robbers, both trembled at the sudden turn of events.

"Wallets! Jewelry! Everything out-"

"Can I help you?" A loud female voice cut the robber's command. It was Ms. Hebert who gave a soft smile as she walked up to the duo with a circular black tray held to her chest.

The room got very silent.

Both robbers glanced at each other.

"Yeah," one said as he moved forward and pointed the gun directly at her, "you can get down on your knees!"

"_OoOoOo_kay," she nervously laughed out with an astounded smile, "that's a little-_forward, _dontcha think?"

"...What?"

"I mean I just met you and we're in public, don't you think that's a bit too much to ask without a date first? Also," she glanced down, "you don't seem well equipped."

It took the robbers a few heartbeats for their minds to process what café owner just said. They were not amused, especially the one who gave the order.

"You-you bitch!" The robber shouted as he stepped forward and moved to hit her with his gun!

His back was on the ground while the owner had his gun pointed at him. The other robber had dropped his gun and was down on his knees screaming in pain while holding the hand that previously held the gun.

"W-what?" Yuga let out. It happened so fast it was hard to process.

Ms. Hebert had quickly spun and tossed her tray like a freebie at the other robber. She kept rotating her body even after the throw and grabbed the hand with the gun that would have pistol-whipped her and flipped the robber over while twisting his hand until he let the gun go. The other robber was yelling and dropped his gun but Yuga didn't see what Ms. Hebert did that time.

She quickly kicked the other gun away as she pointed the gun in her hands at the robber below her. A loud buzzing became apparent, bees and wasps had somehow appeared on the two robbers, clustering around their necks, eyes, and hands.

"I'd refrain from using your quirks if I were you two, they sting really hard and their venom is especially dangerous when they're near your carotid artery," Ms. Hebert said nonchalantly as the insects buzzed menacingly from their necks. The robber she had a gun on had hands that extended into claws, claws that quickly receded. The other, whimpering, robber had a glowing mouth that dimmed after she spoke...

* * *

The crowd had left the Café, after taking pictures, when the police and a local Pro Hero had relieved Ms. Hebert of the robbers. Ms. Hebert was closing up early and she didn't bother collecting payment from the people, though a few did pay out of principle.

"I'm sorry about what happened," she apologized to the police officer, basically a large orange cat in a police uniform with a bell around his neck.

"It was an act of self-defence," the police officer said, "we're just glad that no one was hurt and that justice was done."

"From what everyone described," a hero with a jetpack and blaster began, "you were pretty calm and acted fast."

"It's a habit from when I operated as a hero," she explained.

"Ah," both men let out in understanding.

"You were a hero," the officer questioned.

"For a while back in the United States. Old habits die hard I guess. I'm sorry, it's still a touchy subject for me," Ms. Hebert said as she rubbed her right hand.

"I understand," the officer said as he noted it down in a pad, "and your quirk um-"

"Critter Control," she said.

"Ah...right, um, it allows you to control bees?"

"And other bugs, and spiders, worms and snails, crabs too. I have half a block radius, maybe a bit more if I push myself."

"I see. But in this case, the bees and wasps?"

"I do beekeeping as a hobby, and I do have a few wasps in confinement for emergencies like today, the rest just happened to be in my range. Um, I have thought about using one of my old tricks, but I realize that having bugs laced with capsaicin lying around was a bit overkill..." she trailed off.

"Yeesh," both professionals hissed at the thought. Being swarmed by bugs, presumably bitten and stung, and on top of that, being rubbed with burning capsaicin? That'll ruin anyone's day.

"And since you are not a hero anymore, can we assume you don't resort to those tactics," the officer asked as Hebert nodded.

"Then, about the wasps, there's a nest around here somewhere," the hero continued as he rubbed his chin, "I'll let pest control know so they can keep an eye out, unless, are you-?"

"I don't know where the hive is," Ms. Hebert said, "and I don't offer those kinds of services. I'm not licensed to operate as a hero anymore, meaning I can't hire my quirk out. Also, if I'm being honest I really don't think I can go back to that life."

"It's not for everyone," the hero said to which Ms. Hebert nodded to.

"It really isn't," she agreed.

"Well, I will let you go then," The officer said and the Hero nodded. "Don't worry these guys aren't getting off lightly with armed robbery."

"Much appreciated," Ms. Hebert said with a grateful nod. Pretty soon the officer left with the two would be robbers with the hero following overhead with his jetpack. A She waved goodbye before she decided to return to her Café.

"Miss," a voice stopped her.

"Oh, sorry about what happened earlier Mrs. Aoyama. To think that someone would be brazen enough to rob a Café in this neighborhood," apologized while slightly shaking her head.

"Well it was scary, but, there's no way you can predict something like that, even with a quirk. But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about. See-"

"Mademoiselle," Yuga slid out from behind his mother as gracefully as he could. He bent down to a knee and bowed his head with his eyes closed. "Your swift yet elegant movements have stolen my breath!" He exclaimed loudly. "Such swift moves make men fall to their knees!"

"Um," Ms. Hebert let out, unsure of what was happening, though she had a faint idea and it gave her a small blush.

"Please," he continued while bringing up a hand, the scene almost looking like a marriage proposal, "take my hand," he said loudly, "and help me shine like the stars! Please take me under your wing as a student! I plan to enroll at UA and I will surely become a dazzling hero under your tutelage, Maestro!"

Both older women breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Ohthankgod, it's something else," Ms. Hebert breathed out in English.

"I knew what it was but it still surprised me," Mrs. Aoyama also sighed out.

"So you want me to train you?"

"Oui," Yuga nodded.

Then Ms. Hebert laughed a little before she said, "no. Thanks for the laugh though. I needed that."

She turned and went back inside her cafè.

Mrs. Aoyama expected it but she would have thought the owner would have been kinder with her rejection. She glanced at her son who was still kneeling on the floor.

He slowly stood up. Then he flicked his head up with a dazzling smile, as in his smile actually had light refracting around him in such a manner that made Mrs. Aoyama wonder if it was his quirk or her imagination that did that.

"Non non non," Yuga suddenly said while slightly shaking his head with his eyes closed. "I won't be deterred so easily!" He claimed triumphantly while his mother smiled helplessly at his enthusiasm.

* * *

The next day Ms. Hebert was tending to her customers as usual when-

"Maestro~" Yuga said as he waltzes in with rose petals somehow following his wake. "I've come once more to ask for your hand~" he declared.

"Eh!" Most of her patrons let out.

"No-folks, he means he wants me to train him."

"Oui~ Take the reins and discipline me however you see fit, Maestro~"

"Oh my word," some lady out with a blush.

"No-no-no, he doesn't mean it like that!" Ms. Hebert quickly explained.

"Non, non, non, but I do Maestro, I know it'll be painful process but I am willing to devote myself night and day if that's what it takes~"

"Oh~" a man let out with a blush.

"Should we call the cops?" Another lady asked her friend.

"Lady, he wants me to train him to be a hero, and the answer is still no!"

* * *

The next day, when her café was closed and she was tending to her lawn.

"I've brought fromage maestro~" Yuga announced holding a tray of cheese. The cheese sticks were arranged to spell "**take me!**"

"Rejected." She answered. "...Leave the cheese though."

* * *

The next day when she opened her shop.

"Maestro~" Yuga said as he strolled in with a bouquet of flowers "I got fleurs!"

"No," she said right away.

"I am once more here ask for your hand in training, Maestro," Yuga continued unhindered.

"I-I already said no," she said taken back by the lack of shock or surprise.

"So take the fleurs, pure and dazzling as am, and accept them as you would accept me~"

"_No!_ D-do you even hear yourself?"

"So please," he put the bouquet forward, "take me and accept my pure and unspoiled fleur~" It was at the moment that a pair of ladies walked.

"Eh," they both let out in blushes, only able to see Yuga's back and not what he had on his person.

"Christ," Ms. Hebert let out in frustration.

* * *

The next day right as she's closing up for the day..

"Maestro~" Yuga called out.

Ms. Hebert banged her head on her door.

"I've come to ask for your hand in help for glorious acts of the night~"

"_Oh my god,_" she let out in irritation.

"That way I'll shine away the darkness with my navel laser~"

"Oh," She let out after she heard that. "No wait, I mean to say no!"

* * *

The next day, she didn't open up and let her patrons know ahead of time via twitter and website. It was late morning and she was going to enjoy her day off.

Then a song started playing loudly enough for her to hear from her bedroom on the second floor.

"**I need you,"** the song began, "**I want you~"**

"He picked he sex song didn't he," Ms. Hebert asked herself.

"MAESTRO~"

"Arrrrrrrrg!" she groaned into her pillow.

* * *

Yuga did not give up!

Rejection after rejection did little to quell the burning fire in his heart!

For days he would show up at Ms. Hebert's Café to ask for training.

Though she remained headstrong, Yuga had no doubt that his passion and devotion would one day hold out!

Then, on the 31st day, it happened!

"Maestro~" Yuga called out as he walked into the café with a smile.

"Over here!" He heard her call out. He walked to where the tables were set up.

"Maestro~" Yuga greeted.

"Okay, put these on," he heard Ms. Hebert order as she held up a few articles of clothing.

"O-oui?"

Quickly, changed in the bathroom. When he walked out, he wore a pair of blue jeans that were definitely his, a gray button-up shirt, and grey denim apron with two pockets in the front.

"Alright, you look good," Ms. Hebert said to which he smiled. "Now I need you to read these over and sign them," she handed him a couple of sheets of paper.

After twenty minutes of reading through the forms and he had signed them.

"Alright," Ms. Hebert said, "Let's get you started."

For the next four hours, Ms. Hebert taught Yuga how to take orders, how to fill cups with the basic drinks, how to bring them out without spilling them, and how to make use of the time whenever it got slow at the café.

It was an arduous four hours, but Yuga didn't give in. He persevered and consumed everything Ms. Hebert taught him!

By the time the cafe finally closed, Ms. Hebert handed him a manilla covered folder.

"Here you go, you did good for your first day. But after this I'm paying you weekly, so keep that in mind next time."

"Oi," he said with a dazzling smile.

He quickly made his way home, manilla folder in his backpack, his recently worn clothes in a gift bag Ms. Hebert had given him.

When he finally got home he was greeted with the aroma of meat cooking.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" His mother said as she wrapped her son into a close hug, "my little man working his way through the world!"

Right after he was served a plate of steak, garlic potatoes cut up into bite-sized chunks, broccoli and sauteed mushrooms with a wine glaze.

After dinner, he caught up on homework and schoolwork, showered, brushed his teeth.

He kissed his mother goodnight, got into bed with a dazzling smile plastered on his face, little motes of lights by his lips, confused as all hell as to what had happened that day.

* * *

**Authors note:**

Yeah, I've read Mother of Learning on that quote: "Never underestimate the power of being annoying," (not accurate, from memory), got to me. I don't think Taylor would ever train someone like Yuga willingly, especially if she wants to stray away from heroics, but I figured he could annoy his way to being a hero.

I had a little fun with this. I found that I don't have much experience with eccentric characters outside of Naruto and Greg and I'm trying to expand. Like with Gentle.

Also, I started writing original stories that I'm posting on RR, which does take up my time and I did set up a way to receive donations for it.


	2. Glimmer 2

Sorry, busy with a lot of projects, including some of my own. READ, ENJOY, and Revue! ... that's french for Review! I think!

I don't own Worm or MHA/BnHA!

* * *

"Here mademoiselle," Yuga said as he put a plate of omelette in front of an elderly lady with a dazzling smile, "bon A. Pe. tite~" he singsonged out with a wink that sent the old lady's heart racing.

"Oui~" the elderly lady couldn't help but say with a flustered face.

"Oh~ a ruby coloured sangria for a beautiful ruby colored madam~" Yuga said placing such drink in front of a young woman with apple-red skin.

"Th-thankyou," the woman stuttered out with her cheeks going purple.

"Mon plaisir~" Yuga bowed with eyes closed as his body somehow slid away. The woman's face became purple.

He flicked his head and hair up, said hair snapping back into place as if it was combed in that instant, a sight that everyone in the Café couldn't help but admire.

"Your order, monsieur?" Yuga asked smoothly with a gentle smile, wisps of light emoting around his face in a gentle dance.

"I-I'll," the man stuttered with a slight blush and confused face before he forcefully coughed into his palm, "Water-please," he said with a hint of desperation.

"As you wish," Yuga said as he went to get the man his drink.

"Goddamnit," Ms. Hebert cursed as she viewed the spectacle before her. She was by the counter with the stools. "It's like I'm running one of those places where employees chum up to the customers with alcohol."

"Oh, host clubs," A talking gorilla in a suit said in English, she didn't know if it's a guy with a gorilla quirk or a gorilla with a quirk, but English conversation was very welcomed at times. She later learned he works as a police inspector. Said person took a sip from a banana smoothie Ms. Hebert had served him. He let out a content hum.

"I'm so glad my juniors told me about this place," he couldn't help but mutter in childish satisfaction.

"I'm glad this establishment is able to meet your expectations," Ms. Hebert replied back in English without taking her eyes off her employee who simply annoyed her to her very core.

"Gotta say, you really shaped him up," the inspector said, "when I first came here, the young man was very...cringy in the way he posed and conducted himself."

_That's putting it mildly,_ she thought to herself with a snort as she recalled Yuga's first few days working under her. It was very trying on her patience. Yuga would still model and pose even on the job, he had even given a cutesy pose after dropping an entire tray of plates and cups like nothing was wrong! Literally cutesy! Tongue sticking out, winking while playing rasping his head with his knuckle and everything!

"I had to," Ms. Hebert said, her left eye twitching against her will as she recounted the memory in annoyance, "he was not going to quit those habits of his no matter what I told him. I couldn't kick him out either because he would just go back to begging to train under me again. Not the kind of headache I want. So I told him that if he was going to do it anyway, he might as well do it with more grace and better timing."

"That actually work?"

"No," she said with a frown. "It did not. In the end, I hinted, rather badly I may add, that a hero would be able to do what he did more efficiently or some BS. He took the bait."

"Ah," he let out in acknowledgement, "I see. Well, he definitely improved," the inspector remarked, "if I'm not mistaken, a lot of these customers had ridiculed him in the beginning." She nodded.

_No shame, that one. All those comments flowed off him like water off a duck's back, _she thought to herself. Her employee simply acted the same way regardless of what anyone said, though she did see his façade break here and there despite the smile he wore.

"Now look at them now," the inspector continued in amusement, said customers either had blushes or were flustered by how Yuga acted. In fact, they started coming more often which was...both annoying and concerning, to say the least.

"Yeah it's like their different people," she observed.

"Well, if you keep going at this rate, you'll have a world-class server on your hands," he said, she nodded in agreement.

Almost as if he was listening to them the entire time, he turned to face them with a dazzling smile and said: "Oui~"

* * *

Yuga smiled with motes of lights dazzling around him as he sat down at the wooden table in the kitchen, pulled out a book and began to read.

The café had died down, a lot of the patrons had gone home and Yuga was on break. Ms. Hebert is pretty generous with breaks.

"_There's being productive, then there's pointless effort,"_ She had said, "_If it's a choice between the two, then I'd rather you be productive. But there's a limit to that with no customers and everything being cleaned a second time. Look, just...study or read a book from the shelf or something."_

Naturally, Yuga had picked a book from the shelf and decided to give it a whirl. He leaned back in his chair, tilting it on its two hind legs while Yuga's own feet hooked to the table, right hand on his blond hair whilst the other held the book he read. A picturesque pose that was sure to be photogenic.

His face darkened a little despite the smile he held.

His feet, and that of the chair's, touched the ground as he allowed himself to sigh, closing the book with a single hand.

To this day he still didn't understand how he got stuck working for Ms. Hebert as a server. The clothes looked well enough on him, not a uniform per se but it definitely fit the vibe the café had. Certainly not his choice of "aesthetic" but even he had to admit that the clothes looked rather well on him and his mother seemed to agree because now he has a few more similar outfits in his wardrobe.

But this wasn't what he spent a month begging for.

Or so he thought!

His brightened up as he recalled how everyone outside reacted to him.

Yuga has convinced and re-convinced himself that this was simply Ms. Hebert's way of training him!

Yes!

Like the proverbial Karate kid, she was slowly, very slowly, shaping him up to be a hero with seemingly meaningless tasks!

Taking orders? Simply PR training! Public relations is among the core of what it means to be a hero! After all, a hero's popularity, as well as what work they do, go hand in hand with what they earn. Or so the few minutes of glossing online job descriptions and school oral reports he remembers hearing from other classmates have informed him.

Serving drinks and food? Why, what is a hero if not a fabulous servant of the people? Not to mention being attentive to your surroundings doubles as training for spotting individuals, ones who fight themselves, afraid to step forward and ask for an autograph!

Not to mention, being productive? He was reading a fictional book! What's more enriching to the mind? Schoolwork filled with regurgitated information that a person has to regurgitate over and over again in the correct manner, or a piece of fiction straight from the mind, filled with creativity from the idea to the word usage? Naturally, Aoyama was sure he made the right choice.

Yes, slowly but surely Ms. Hebert was moulding him to be a hero.

"Shouldn't you be doing school work?"

"Non non, maestro," Yuga said with a smile, "what I need is enrichment!"

"...Pretty sure school work is enriching and practical in the way of getting better grades." Ms. Hebert said as she put a few dirty dishes into the dishwasher.

"Hm hm, Maestro is worried about me getting into UA," Yuga said with a smile. "What an astute maestro I have~"

"No no no, UA was in no way mentioned," she said as she pulled something out of the fridge.

"Fear not Maestro~ With your help and my enrichment, I will for sure make it into UA's hero course!" He happily declared. "Class 1A, of course~"

"I am, not at all, worried about that," she deadpanned.

"Oui oui, with your help, getting into UA is all but guaranteed~"

"I did not say nor insinuate that," she stated.

"Of course, with many hoping to get into such a prestigious course, the competition is going to be tough. But that just means we need to outshine the others," he said while haughtily whipping, and then soon after fixing, his hair. "Right~"

"...Sure, go nuts," she eventually said with a sigh.

"Yes, I'll let out passion run wild for all to see~"

"..." She just took in a deep breath while she massaged her temples.

"To that end, I'm reading this~" Yuga said as he held up the book he was reading.

"Yes, I'm sure that..." she paused when she looked at the spine of the book Yuga was reading. Whatever sarcastic quip she had was gone. "Is that-"

"Yes, Worm, a fascinating tale I found on the bookshelf," Yuga replied she could finish her question.

"But that's only in English," she looked at her bookshelf, said books were still there minus one. "Wait, can you-"

"Hm hm," he let out loudly as he shook his head and pulled out his phone, "Someone translated it," he shamelessly admitted. "I read in English what I can and use the translation to fill in what I can't."

"Oh that's...actually not a bad idea," Ms. Hebert said in a surprise.

"Hm hm~" He posed in his seat, glimmers of light dancing around him. "It's thanks to you recognizing my potentiel that I am here~" He gives a wink.

"..."

"..."

"...So what did you think of the book so far?"

"It's interesting~" He said as he opened said book and began to pretend to read it. "I'm not much for period fictions, but this one had well engrossed. The world, the setting, the commentary, I found myself wanting to know more and more. Not to mention the characters, like the Undersiders. Oh! The main character, Emma, has powers very similar to yours, Maestro."

"It's why I got it. Quirks have been around for a long time. It's a wonder if there's any quirk in any variation that hasn't been used in fiction before."

"Oui, I even found someone with navel laser quirk," Aoyama said, finding a passage he was pretending to read actually fascinating. He has already read it before, but he initially skipped over it in favor of the Japanese version. "It was on a bonbon wrapper~"

"Oh, which character is your favourite?"

"Regent~" He said without hesitation, "I feel his fashion would suit mine~ Ah, but I like how Gallant was described too~"

"Hm-hm, of course," Ms. Hebert laughed. Yuga couldn't help but smile after he heard that.

"That said, the book is étrange," he admitted.

"Oh?"

"Well, I understand Emma, I see things the way she does, but I don't like her actions. Emma feels like a real person, and like a kind soul, but not someone who's bottes I want to experience the story through. If I'm being honest...I can't say that I like her," he admitted.

"Right?" Ms. Hebert said putting a plate next to Aoyama and ruffling his hair, slightly surprising him. It was just a plate of sliced apple in peanut butter.

"I can't say I like her all that much either," Ms. Hebert agreed with a smile on her face. "Well finish up whatever chapter you're on, then do school work. The last thing I want is some annoying argument about work getting in the way of studying."

"Okay maestro~" Yuga winked. Taylor rolled her eyes but she did chortle.

"I'm gonna go check on the couple," she said. Yuga nodded as he flipped the book back to the page he was originally on.

He heard he move before she paused.

"...You know," she began, "not that I care or anything, but as a hero, a morning run wouldn't hurt. A little cardio and stamina can do wonders"

Yuga smiled. That's right, as a hero, he'd have to get away from adoring fans! What an astute maestro he has!

He flashed a smile in her direction and wink, "Oui~"

* * *

**Author's note:**

Just a short chap this time. Really like writing this fic, well, at least better than Taylor teaching Izuku. He's been putting in the work to become a hero, sure, but I can't help but feel that if Izuku was in Aoyama's shoes in this fic, he'd probably give up after the first rejection at worst, at best he'd give up after three hard rejections.

Also, Aoyama is a fun character to play with.

I keep trying to play with Regent in my head, but he comes off as too douchy instead of snarky.

Well lemme know what your thoughts are, hopes and dreams too, maybe even nightmares and scares for this fic in the reviews~

Whelp, hope you got a laugh~


	3. Glimmer 3

Hey I'm back. Gotta say, the manga is actually helping in regards to how to power up Yuga, but as you can imagine with how things are, it will take a while before Yuga gets properly shored up.

I don't own BnHA/MHA or Worm.

* * *

"What's he doing?" The Gorilla inspector asked.

"Hm?" Ms. Hebert let out after she wiped a nearby counter. The Inspector pointed at Yuga carrying a sack of potatoes around the backyard, said person doing his level best to look charming as he did so. It was early Saturday morning and at the moment the Inspector was the only customer around.

"Oh," she let out. "For some reason he thought it was strength training when I asked him to move that sack of potatoes. Since I'm only giving people their morning fix today, I let him do whatever he wanted. This is how he chose to amuse himself," Ms. Hebert explained.

"...He's not the brightest, is he?"

"No, he is not," she wholeheartedly agreed.

"Hmmm, what are the odds he'll make it into UA at all," the Inspector asked.

"Well, I don't know how the schools here work, but from what I've seen, abysmal," she immediately replied with a tight smile and a nod.

"You really don't mince your words, huh?"

"I call it as I see it," she replied bluntly.

"Harsh~" The Inspector let out with a small smile.

"Mhmm," she hummed with a tight smile.

"...Are you going to help him?"

"...I...as his boss I feel like I should, but I'm not sure he's actually cut out for hero work. Also, I'm not sure if I want to subject the world to..._that_," she motioned at Yuga. The kid was now striking poses with the sack of potatoes, glimmers of light dancing around his sweaty body as he did so.

"I can certainly sympathize with your conundrum," the Inspector said, feeling a bit embarrassed just watching the young man "train".

She eyed the clock on the wall, the inspector looked at his custom watch. His face twitched.

"Tch, well I gotta go," he said.

"Last one for the road," she asked as she held up a coffee pot.

"Please and thank you," he said holding a mug with a lid he brought from home.

She topped him off, basically half the pot, he gave a friendly nod when it was full.

He stood up and grabbed his briefcase.

As he moved away, Ms. Hebert began wiping the counter he was using.

"You know," The Inspector began, stopping just out of sight, "I'm with you in regards to the kid. However, that kid did his damndest to study under you. Even now, he's doing what he perceives is the best for him. I hope you take that responsibility seriously, whether you decide to help him, or cut him loose."

With his part said, the Gorilla Inspector left.

She couldn't help but let out an exasperated sigh as she sat down. Then she laughed a little.

"Jeez, and here I thought I was done with that crap..."

* * *

"Maestro~" Yuga made his way inside the Café, still carrying the sack of potatoes, "I'm done moving the Patate~" he announced, moving said sack of potatoes to the kitchen.

"Great. Wash up and go do...whatever it is you do on the weekend, I guess." He heard his maestro say.

"OUI~" he let out as he placed the Potatoes in a random spot in the kitchen.

In a flash, he was dressed out of his "uniform" and into his casual wear. Basically jeans and a white shirt with frills on it.

"Maestro, I'm about to go work on my quirk~"

"Have fun," She said as she fiddled with a smartphone that has the dual-screen attachment, mimicking a retro flip-phone.

A thing Yuga learned about his maestro is that she didn't really enjoy using phones, though she would use them, but unlike everyone else, she got along fine without using it every other moment of her life. To Ms. Hebert's dismay, Yuga thinks (she always seemed annoyed being on the phones), a lot of social platforms she used for her store were more streamlined for mobile usage instead of desktop.

"Hm hm~ If only Maestro would see how magnificent my quirk is~"

"You shoot a laser from your navel, navel laser, what's to see?" She bluntly replied.

"Hm hm hm," Yuga let out as he shook his head, "how foolish of me, of course Maestro would not doubt my quirk~" He flicked his hair before neatly moulding it back to form with his hands, motes of light framing his body as he did so. "After all, I'm Maestro's pupil," he posed, hand on his chest, other hand on his hair.

"...Yeaaaaaaaaah, sure, let's go with that."

"Maestro confidence in me knows no bounds~ With your training and my quirk, even UA would be nothing more than a mere stepping ground~"

"..." Ms. Hebert took in a deep breath while she massaged her forehead. "Ugh, fine I'll come," she relented as she pocketed her phone.

"OH! Merveilleux~"

* * *

"Maestro's going to watch me~" Yuga couldn't help but chant as he walked with a glistening swag.

"Joy." He heard Ms. Hebert say behind him. His teacher wore a simple pair of faded jeans, tennis shoes, and a black long sleeved shirt. She also wore thin blue gloves that covered her hands.

"We're here," he announced as he presented the building.

"Huh. So this is the Quirk Gym you go to."

It was a tall building, about three stories tall, near the outskirts of Masutafu. According to the sign, it was called the Otter Gym.

"Oui!"

* * *

"DIE!"

**KABOOOM!**

"Well that's concerning," Ms. Hebert said as she looked down the hall to where the cry and explosion came from. It was then followed up by more explosions.

Yuga walked beside her with a blissful smile on his face and some sort of metal belt attached to his waist. Apparently it was underneath his shirt and she never noticed, he had quickly put it over his shirt.

"Some clients have their own work out chants and can get very enthusiastic about their routine," their guide explained. She was a girl on the shorter side, fit, brown hair with cat ears, wore a white t-shirt that hinted a black sports bra underneath, and leggings.

"RAAAAAAA!"

**BA-BA-BA-BOOOMMMMM!**

"...sure," Ms. Hebert said.

Then she looked at a wall in the opposite direction. It was just a normal wall with a tacky color painted on.

Ms. Hebert let out a smirk that went unnoticed by the two.

"Here we are," their guide said, bringing them outside to a refurbished golfing range with flags as dividers, a lot of the "stations" were already in use. "You two are in the station all the way at the end," their guide pointed.

The two said their thanks and made their way to the end while avoiding the other people who exercised their quirks.

Just as people go to the gym to exercise for whatever reason, people also go to Quirk Centers to exercise their quirks to stay healthy. While it is permissible to use your quirk on your own property, not everyone has that option. A quick work around was a specialized facility for exercising quirks.

"Alright, so what do you do?" Ms. Hebert asked Yuga, though she was paying more attention to the targets down the "range." It was a mound of dirt that had clearly taken a beating this morning. The target is a crudely etched out circle with more circles inside and a dot at the center.

She glanced at him only to see him send her a wink with his usual smile surrounded by motes of light.

"Behold," he announced, poking his abdomen out, slightly arching his body backwards like a crescent, "my magnificent Art of Seduction~"

A large laser shot forth from Yuga's belt! Contrary to Ms. Herbert's expectations, it was not a red laser. It was a dazzling beam of blue tinted light filled with reflective gems. A beam that did not last long, like at all.

"Strong, no? Though if I do it more than a second, my tummy gets an ache," he explained as if it were a good thing.

Ms. Hebert looked at the mound, the dust cloud that was kicked up quickly settling, and she saw that it did quite a bit of damage. But she didn't smell anything like ozone burning or burning in general.

"Is that all?"

"There's also this!" Yuga said as he jumped, "Art of seduction!"

"Wait-what? That's a name-"

Yuga rocketed backwards! For like a brief moment before he lost momentum and fell on his back.

He quickly jumped back to his feet, keeping the same pose (arms behind his head) and same smile plastered on his face as he walked forward.

"Magnificent, right?" He asked with a wink, not even bothering to dust himself off.

"..." She stayed silent as she digested everything she saw.

She took in one deep breath.

"So," she began, "you can fire a laser, but anything longer than a second gives you stomach problems? Not only that, that laser of yours is bright, but it doesn't actually burn through anything. It has kinetic energy, powerful enough to actually propel you backward."

"Oui~" he confirmed with a wink and lights dazzling around his eye, ignoring the fact that he was still covered in dirt.

"...You...you're wearing that belt," she lazily motioned at the giant metal belt around his stomach, "can you...not use your quirk without it?"

"..."

"..."

"Hm hm~" he let out with a wink.

She sighed while she massaged her temple. "I'll take that as a no. Do you at least know how that belt works or how to fix it if it breaks?" She asked.

"..."

"..."

"Hm-h-"

"I'll take that as a no," Ms. Hebert said in an annoyed tone. "Have you used your quirk on anyone?"

"Non non, that's illégal~" he playfully chided.

"So...you have absolutely no idea how your quirk will affect a person nor do you know if you could permanently blind someone by accident," it was more of statement than a question, but Yuga answered all the same.

"N-no," he replied, his façade breaking for the first time that day.

Ms. Hebert took a deep breath...then she let it out...then she took another one in...and muttered something about an: "aneurysm" in English.

"_Okay_," she began loudly while clapping her hands, "dust yourself off and continue firing a laser into the mound of dirt. Iiii'll be right back," she stated before she turned around and started walking.

Yuga said something in the affirmative and did as Ms. Hebert said. As she walked away, she took out her mobile phone and looked up her contact list….

* * *

It's been a few minutes and yuga had been happily firing accurate shots at the mound of dirt. Well, this was the bulk of what his quirk could do, so he polished it like a fine gem just begging to shine!

It was around that time that he noticed Ms. Hebert walking back towards him with two people trailing behind her. The first was the girl who guided them, earlier, though Yuga didn't know the second person. That said, he was fairly confident that it was the manager of the facility. Both looked nervous and put a lot of extra work on their smiles. So much so that it was clearly not from the heart.

"So um, will th-that be-be everything?" The manager asked with a stutter. The manager wore a more casual set of clothes for relaxing rather than working out. She wore make-up, had a plump body, and had red diamond markings on her skin while her afro looked like it was made up of smaller diamonds(4-sides).

"Yes. Again, just put the bucket where I told you with bleach or something suitable, and your 'little problem' will be dealt with," Ms. Hebert answered. She turned to look at the trainer. "How much longer?"

"W-well," the trainer stuttered, something Yuga never heard her do. "Everyone other than yourselves should be done in a few minutes."

"Define 'few,' is it five minutes, less, more?"

"Th-there abouts," answered the trainer.

"'There abouts' where?"

"Ah-f-five minutes," the trainer clarified.

"Hm," Ms. Hebert hummed. "Five minutes then, after that, no one is allowed in here."

"Y-yes of course, I understand," the manager said, being very attentive to Yuga's Maestro's request while their guide just nodded rapidly.

* * *

Five minutes later, it was just Yuga and his Maestro in the modified golfing range.

"Maestro is amazing," Yuga said as he ran up and down the ranges, it was the first time he had seen the range so empty!

"Alright, c'mon," Ms. Hebert said while clapping her hands after she let Yuga run around for a bit.

"Okay~" he let out as he returned to his Maestro's side. "How did you convince them to let us have the entire area?"

"Oh," his Maestro began, "I noticed they had a small problem earlier, I just gave them a very helpful, but a very _temporary _and _immediate _solution to that problem. Speaking of which."

"Hm?" Yuga let out as he began to hear buzzing. Suddenly a bunch of bugs was now keeping them company. It was an unnerving amount of bugs. Though he smiled, it was warped with worry and fear.

"M-maestro?"

"One sec," She said, not even looking at him. She had her arms crossed, one free hand petting her arm as she pondered. "Alright, lets try this."

Ms. Hebert took a step forward and brought her right arm up and pointed with her index finger, making a circular motion.

Right Away, all the bugs, mainly composed of cockroaches, moved with purpose and began flying. In an instant, the bugs created three _decent_ rings in the air. Ms. Hebert moved her hand and the rings followed her hand in uniform fashion. She nodded to herself, brought her other hand up and began directing the rings to move independently from one another.

"Alright this will be very simple," Ms. Hebert said, "you are going to-"

"Art of Seduction~" Yuga was already firing at the circles, guessing what she had in mind.

"Mrrm," she growled in annoyance, but she ignored it and continued. She directed the targets made of bugs with her hands as Yuga attempted to shoot inside the rough rings….he was actually doing a good job.

"Huh," she was a bit surprised. She tried a new more difficult pattern. His aim dipped, but it quickly improved. He was still killing a few bugs but she could tell that most of his shots were inside the rings.

She turned to look at him, his feet were firmly planted in place as he angled his abdomen. She simply snuck behind him and lightly rasped her knuckles on his head. The result was his shot veering off.

"Ma-maestro?"

"Think nothing of it, keep shooting."

Yuga nodded and just as he was about to shoot his laser again, she rasped her knuckles against his head, his laser going off target again.

"Um, maestro, the t-"

"Think nothing of it and keep shooting."

"Ou-oui."

And that went on for another ten minutes…. Truth be told, she had to restrain herself from actually putting a bit more effort in her attempts to make Aoyama lose focus. After having to put up with her employee's tendencies for quite a while, it was very therapeutic to hit him in any sort of manner. Though, to the kid's credit, he actually adjusted fairly well in spite of her meddling.

"Hm," she let out, "lets try this," with a motion of her hand, she sent the rings moving up and down the range, along different stations. "Alright, you are good at shooting while standing sti-"

"Art of seduction~" Yuga announced as he blasted off with his quirk, once more guessing what she wanted him to do.

"That's getting really-"

"Art of Seduction~" he announced before he hit the ground, his shot going inside the ring, but his body was close to the ground that he was sent rolling by the force of his own quirk.

"_...ow..."_ she could fairly hear from his direction.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," she said aloud to herself.

In the next few minutes, she found that Aoyama would rather launch himself into the air and attempted to aim from there instead of running and gunning with his quirk. Truthfully, she was unsure if that was responsible on his part or if he was just over relying on his quirk.

Right now they were taking a break because he was pushing his quirk a little hard.

He had a few scratches and his shirt now needed a wash, but he seemed more concerned with his stomach ache.

"Guess you weren't kidding about that 1 second limitation," Ms. Hebert said as she looked down at Aoyama. He was lying on his back with a crude smile on his face that did little to hide how uncomfortable he felt. The discomfort clearly coming from the stomach he was nursing.

That was when her phone rang. She quickly took it out of her pocket, lifted the clips on attachment that turned her phone into a flip-phone(a bit retro) and answered.

"Hello?" She answered. "Ah yes, that would be me… Would today work? Great, what time? … … Mmm, um, we at some quirk gym, the ah, The Otter Gym. Yes that one...Oh, that close...yeah we can be there in an hour, so….yeah that works! Thanks again for accommodating us on such short notice. Alright, see you then."

After the phone call ended, she waited until Aoyama was good to go again and once more tried to see what he could do with his quirk.

...He has good aim….

Yeah that's as far as praises go.

* * *

"Hmm," Yuga hummed as he wondered where his Maestro had brought him.

After a quick clean up(his shirt was still going to need something more thorough) they had gone to some sort of building. Someone had buzzed them in and they took an elevator, but Yuga was still at loss as to where they were. But it was his Maestro's decision, so he didn't question it.

The door opened and a short man greeted them, someone very familiar looking to Yuga, but he didn't know why. The short man is bald and has four eyes and wore custom glasses to match.

"Welcome, Welcome, ohhhh little Yuga Aoyama! Ohhh, you used to be my height last time you were here! Ohhh, look how you are you!" He said with a smile… "You don't remember me, do you?"

Yuga just smiled innocently.

"Dr. Ojiku, right? You created Aoyama's belt?" Ms. Herbert asked.

"Indeed I did!" The man declared while pointing his index finger up. "Ms. Taylor Herbert, Aoyama's employer, right? Please come in, both of you!"

He quickly ushered the two into a room filled with a bunch of electronics that Yuga had a very faint idea of what they did.

"Please don't mind the mess, Mrs. Aoyama's call was a bit last minute and I really didn't have time to spruce my lab up."

"We don't mind," Ms. Hebert said. "We're just glad that you decided to see us on such short notice."

"Oh!" Yuga let out as he spotted a metal belt. He quickly homed in on it.

"I thought you'd take an interest in that," Dr. Ojiku said with a smile, "your mother told me you wanted to go to UA, so I had to redesign the belt to be able to withstand punishment and still be comfortable to move in."

"You mean it isn't?" Ms. Hebert asked.

"Well, originally it was designed to stop lil' Aoyama's quirk from hurting him and help him manage it," Dr. Ojiku explained. "To my knowledge, his quirk isn't leaking as badly as it used to, but he still needs to wear the belt. The 'thin version' of the belt he has is mainly used for suppression, not fighting. He can walk around comfortably without it chafing his skin and use it for emergencies, but it'll quickly get busted. This though," he motioned the belt on the table, "this was meant for fighting."

It was noticeably bulkier and more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

"I'm still working on the model, but it's mostly scaling up the original design I made for him when he was just wee little baby boy. It should be done by the time UA's entrance exam rolls around. It should be more durable, able to withstand different environments, shouldn't bounce around as much due to any excessive movements, and it should be nice and comfortable to wear."

"What about his quirk output?" Ms. Hebert asked with interest.

"Oh, 'bout the same," the doctor shrugged, "I never really had any control over that. If I'm being honest, I was actually surprised that the belt worked at all. You know that round pale thing on his belt, the one that sits where his navel would be?"

"Yeaaaaaaah, I notice," she said, "what about it?"

"That's actually-"

"THE SUPER SPARKLING EMITTER!"Yuga quickly said with a dazzling smile as he looked at the two adults.

"...Well, I was gonna go with utter failure to replicate an old jojo anime item, but yeah, sure, that works," the doctor replied.

"Jojo?" Ms. Hebert questioned.

"Ancient anime; the item was a red gem that could amplify light to an absurd degree, like a light of candle becomes a laser when in contact with it," he explained as he reached into a drawer and pulled the item that would go on the belt. "I made this, inspired by anime, solar panels, and what have you. Sadly it only works when there's a high concentration of energy. So-you know, pointless. I mean the source practically has to be a laser in order to be turned into a laser."

"I can see how that would be a problem," Ms. Hebert replied politely.

"Right, unless you're Lil' Aoyama here," he said as he ruffled Yuga's hair. "So, Mrs. Aoyama didn't tell me what exactly it is the two of you wanted to know."

"Well, it's been brought to my attention that Aoyama doesn't really know how the belt works, and in the _very _likely event that his belt breaks, he will have no idea how to repair it or improvise a solution."

"Hm...yeah that seems very likely," The doctor agreed. "Well alright, I can't say how helpful I'll be, but I'll see what I can do. Where would you like to start."

"His quirk," She answered. "I noticed that it didn't actually burn anything and even looking at it directly didn't ruin my vision, to my knowledge at least. Though, I did notice that the 'laser' has a kinetic aspect."

"Oh you notice that, did ya? Good catch! As soon as you say laser, most people leave it at that. Well, I have his recent medical file on hand, so let's take a peek!"

* * *

"Well this was a long day," Ms. Hebert told herself as she collapsed on her bed.

Her little frustration of the day flowing into her encaged critters as she focused her thoughts else where.

Yuga Aoyama's quirk apparently fell into the "defective" category. His quirk just didn't mesh well with his body. This could mean any number of things from mutations to birth defects.

The theory is that his skin, specifically around his navel, was supposed to be porous enough for, as the kid dubs it, "the sparkle energy" to escape. Or at least develop a way to allow it to do so. This is because of the way the skin around his navel is formed. But it didn't. Aside from his quirk (and the weird motes of light around him), the kid is basically a normal human with a rare eye-color and quirky personality.

She even got to see what the result was if he didn't use the belt. True to what the doctor explained, some of that "sparkle energy" escaped without Aoyama willing it. Rather than a focused beam, "globs" of light sort of just went everywhere. The emitter on the belt acted like a cap of sorts, allowing only a large concentration out. Though both herself and the doctor reasoned that slivers of energy that the emitter stopped from leaking out did manifest in other ways (such as the motes of light surrounding Aoyama).

She even got to see what it would look like if Aoyama tried to use his quirk without that emitter. It was not a pretty sight.

In addition to whatever stomach problem he got, his entire abdomen was basically about to explode. It was as if something living and glowing was trying to escape his body, like the weird aliens from that one sci-fy horror in outer space. The doctor quickly tapped the emitter on the glowing spot and both the kid and the emitter were sent flying as a "laser" shot out of the emitter. After that, the belt quickly came back on and Aoyama rushed to the bathroom….

After that, the day was spent learning possible solutions in case his belt broke. Nothing extensive, just quick patches.

She sighed as she sat up.

She turned to look at a painting in her room. It was a life-sized painting.

She got out of bed and walked towards it. Her room had other paintings, but none were as prominent as the life sized one. A group of six teens of varying ages stood together, smiling and cavorting about like a family. Though they all wore civilian clothing, they all had their masks on their persons. It was not a reminder of how necessary drove them as people, but a reminder of what brought them together, of what made them stand by each other in spite of how different they all were.

Her left hand reached out and gently rubbed the painting.

"I miss you guys," she said aloud, "all of you…."

**Vrrrrmmm**

Her head was a few centimeters away from hitting the painting, her hair actually grazing it.

Her hand fished out the phone as she took a deep breath.

Predictably, it was Yuga Aoyama, texting her "bonne nuit" along with a selfie of himself holding a backup "Sparkle Emitor."

"Him not so much," she said as she texted him back, telling him to go to sleep and leave her alone….he sent back a selfie of himself in bed with a dazzling smile.

She rolled her eyes and snapped her phone shut as she walked back to her bed. She sat down and contemplated the day. The kid, he...really was not meant to be a hero. She could list everything wrong with him, make a compelling argument as to why he should pursue something else (maybe modeling, he posed enough as it is), but for some reason...she couldn't work up the effort to do so.

…

No...she knew why.

"No one is meant to be a hero. Not you, not I, certainly not the ones who made it either...We are who we choose to be…."

Ms. Hebert looked at her phone…

She groaned.

She stood up and walked to her desk filled with various odds and ends, the most noticeable was a laptop.

She booted it on and started browsing online.

She tried to remember what her annoying employee's measurements were as she searched how much buying a Darwin Barkwood spider would cost and if she needed a permit to own one or something with stronger silk. Animals have been known to manifest quirks, who's to say there isn't a rare spider with a convenient quirk out there somewhere?

* * *

**Author's note:**

lol lets be real, Taylor's been itching to hit him XD.

Well, stay safe and let me know what you think!


	4. Glimmer 4

Shout out to Disgusting crab thing for helping me edit my blurb, just a short chapter this time, I'm thinking of reading worm again and continue onto ward. Read, Enjoy, and Review.

I don't own worm or BnHA/MHA

* * *

"Maestro~" Yuga called, "what's that?"

He was pointing at the newly erected shed in the backyard. It was located all the way back, right by the fence, so it didn't obstruct his maestro's garden.

"A shed," his maestro answered as she wrote something down on a notebook.

"...Of?"

"Wood," she answered nonchalantly, "and sheet metal."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Did you finish your homework?" It wasn't school work, just practice work, but still homework all the same.

"...hm hm~" he posed. Meaning: he did not.

"Ugh, hurry up already," she groaned.

"Okay~"

Today was another day that she didn't open up her tiny café, but that didn't stop her "apprentice" from coming in for "training". She really didn't have anything else for him to do and he said he didn't have more important things to work on...so she called his mother.

His mother promptly dropped off his school bag filled with prep work he's been ignoring.

"What exactly do you even have to do to get into UA's hero course anyway?" She asked.

"You have to be me~" Yuga answered while he smiled and flicked his head, whipping his hair, and gave her wink.

"...you have absolutely no idea," she guessed.

"Hm, hm~ The entrance exam rarely changes, according to a few blogs I found. It's an average entrance exam followed by a combat exam. It's usually students against robots," he explained while waging his index finger around.

"...I get it now," she said with a sigh, "you're basically winging it and hoping your quirk is enough to get you enrolled."

"One good look at me, and they'll see I'm crème de la crème~" he announced while posing again, lights framing his body, not at all denying his master's claim.

"Probably, but not for the reason you're thinking," his master said as she rolled her eyes.

"Oui oui, as maestro pointed out, I've a much too modest view of myself. It's possible they'd acknowledge me and let me attend the hero course on a recommendation!"

"..."

"..."

"Modest?"

"Oui~"

"...**Modest**?"

"Oui oui~"

"..."

"..."

"...Just finish your homework."

* * *

"Mmmmmm," The kid let out.

"You put this number," she pointed with his pencil, "here and here," she explained, "from there, cross out so you don't forget, and then it's just easy math."

He looked at the equation...then started smacking his head as if he was trying to physically cram the logic into his skull, sparks of light flying off his head as he did so.

"...It's a lot easier if you just read the textbook and see videos about the logic behind the formulas," Ms. Hebert said.

"Oui," he said in a less excited tone, she rolled her eyes.

She stood up straight and walked to where his mother had situated herself on the counter with a cup of coffee.

"Thanks again for helping him, Miss Hebert," Mrs. Aoyama thanked her. After it was obvious that the kid wasn't going anywhere for a while, Ms. Hebert called Mrs. Aoyama to let her know. She decided to come over and hangout(enjoy free drinks).

"Your welcome," Ms. Hebert returned with a nod, "sadly I'm not much help outside of math and English." She grabbed a nearby kettle on the counter(on top a coster) and poured herself more tea.

"It's still a huge help," Mrs. Aoyama insisted. She looked at her son and frowned.

"Well, he definitely, definitely, needs it," Ms. Hebert said nonchalantly.

"...Miss Hebert, please be honest with me," Mrs. Aoyama began in a low voice. "Do you think my son can do it, do you think he has what it takes to be a hero?"

"No, I don't," Ms. Hebert replied right away without even hesitating. Mrs. Aoyama frowned, but she didn't seem angry, she had probably expected it.

"So then-" she began but Ms. Hebert cut her off.

"I wasn't that much better either when I was his age," she admitted. Ms. Hebert snickered. "Actually, depending on who you asked, some would say I was worse off than Yuga." She held a bitter smile. "I had so many problems...the fact that I became a hero at all was nothing short offfffff...well...I hesitate to use the word 'miracle', but you get the picture."

She turned to look at Yuga who seemed to be making a face that was a cross between constipation and an aneurysm as he stared at his school work. Motes of light sparking off his head and he tried to make sense of his school work, not unlike a malfunctioning robot.

"Your son has the confidence I never had back when I was his age. What false-bravado I could muster up at the time was more nerve-wracking than the actual work," Ms. Hebert continued, "and trust me, a bit of confidence goes a long way when you're in costume. His quirk, while I can't say it's dependable, I also can't say I would like to be up against it, even with its caveats. If he can channel at least half his enthusiasm into that hero course, then I'm sure he can make something of himself. But the same could be said for any profession. Though I do hope that he has the good sense to learn more than heroism as a backup plan in case things don't work out."

Mrs. Aoyama nodded as she stared at her son.

"If...if it's not rude, may I ask why you decided to retire as a hero," Mrs. Aoyama inquired. Miss Hebert gave a lopsided smile.

"You can ask, but I'm not going to answer. That said..." Ms. Hebert stared back at her cup of tea, then at her hand. "I did what I thought was right, and...I guess it ended up right in a sense, but…." She shook her head. "I still have my regrets. When I moved here, it was a new beginning, a fresh start for me and my career, but...I had a hard time putting the mask on again. I went on a tour and really took stock of myself and the world around me…. In the end, I decided that there's no reason for a hero like me to exist in this world. And then I ended up here."

"Isn't that a bit harsh?"

Ms. Hebert shrugged with a small smile.

"Maybe, or maybe I got off luckier than I should."

"Maestro, what if people need you to be a hero again?" the kid's voice caught the two women by surprise. Evidently, he had been listening. The two older women glanced at the boy, finding him to be watching enthusiastically, at least more so than he was when he was staring at his homework.

Miss Hebert looked away and started chuckling.

"Heh heh heh, trust me, Yuga. The day people need someone like me to be a hero...that's a day you should hope never comes."

"Mm?" He cocked his head in confusion, "but, maestro's a great hero already, and you're training me to be greater!"

Once more she chuckled.

"Sure kid, sure. Did you solve the problem yet?"

He did not.

* * *

"...He's asleep." Ms. Hebert noted. She checked her watch. "It's only been half an hour too."

"Honestly, what am I going to do with that boy?" Mrs. Aoyama wondered out loud as she looked at her snoozing and drooling son who still managed to make it look fabulous.

"I say let him sink or swim at this point," Ms. Hebert replied bluntly.

"Mmmm,"she groaned, clearly not enthusiastic about that idea, but not dismissing it out of hand either.

"Huh, actually this might be a good time to ask," Ms. Hebert began.

"Hmm?"

"Can I have your permission to hit and maybe fatally injure your son?"

"HMM?"

* * *

Yuga yawned as he rubbed his eyes. The day had been really long for him.

His mother had left, trusting him to be home before curfew, so he was just helping his maestro out. Meaning they were just prepping.

"But there's really nothing left to prep," Yuga noted with his patent smile. His maestro was quick and thorough.

"I need you to wash the cutting board and knife," his master said. Yuga happily complied.

Two quickly went about completing what little task was left.

Yuga couldn't help but breathe a breath of relief when he was done sweeping the floors. It was more time consuming than arduous, but well worth it in his opinion. Give it a layer of wax and it would truly sparkle!

"Hey kid," he heard his master suddenly began, "have you ever gotten into a fight?"

"Nul," he answered, "after all who could possibly harm this dazzling face?

"I figured," she said, suddenly behind him. She quickly snaked her left arm around his neck.

Yuga barely reacted before he realized that Ms. Hebert is choking him!

"That means you've never been put into chokehold before. They're pretty dangerous, fairly effective of incapacitating someone, but they can easily kill someone, especially on accident." she calmly explained. "Its seen in an unfavourable light, but I imagine it still gets used a lot. The question is, how do you get out of one?"

Yuga didn't struggle, not initially, part of him thought this was his maestro playing a prank on him, but then she tightened her arm around his neck. It started to hurt, he needed to breathe.

He tried reaching up to her arms.

"Nope, if done properly, the fingers are protected by the other arm. If not, go for the fingers, but odds are, you won't be that lucky," she explained, Aoyama could feel his heart beat in his ears as he tried to pry the arm off his neck with no luck. "Try to find the groin instead. Hit it as hard as you can and hope they have dangling bits that are very susceptible to pain."

She let him go. He began gasping for air.

"You also don't want to go limp, that could damage your neck. You could use your quirk for a burst of backward momentum, maybe knock your opponent onto something, but you could very easily hurt yourself too. Maybe fatally impale yourself on something."

"Maestro, why-" Yuga didn't finish. He didn't know what happened, but his legs were kicked right from under him. He hit the ground, landing on his back.

Ms. Hebert was quickly on him, putting her knee on his neck.

"M-maestro!" Yuga struggled to say.

"I don't know what UA is going to teach you in terms of fighting or heroics," Ms. Hebert began, "but me, I'll settle for you knowing how to get out of a fight. The entrance exam is around the corner, but we got time until UA becomes your world. IF you get in."

* * *

"_What," Mrs. Aoyama began, but Ms. Hebert motioned for her to lower her voice, "why?" she asked._

"_I get the feeling that your boy has never gotten into fight before," Ms. Hebert began before sipping her tea. "Yuga's quirk is decent I suppose, but he has a lot to be desired. So I very much doubt that he'll be winning any fights in the near future. I'm not sure how UA does things, but I'm going to make sure Yuga knows what to do if he gets into a fight. He came to me for help, at the very least, I'm going to make sure he knows the one thing all heroes should know."_

"_How to fight?" Mrs. Aoyama guessed._

"_How to stay alive," Ms. Hebert answered._


End file.
